Andrew Robertson’s progress far from a gamble

SCOTLAND are a real long shot to beat world champions Germany.

Robertson knows that Scotland will be up against it when they face Germany [WILLIAMSON]

Andrew Robertson knows he and the rest of Gordon Strachan’s team will be up against it in Dortmund’s Westfalen Stadium on Sunday, but also believes they could well be worth a punt in their Euro 2016 opener.

That pretty much mirrors the young defender’s own career which has developed against all odds, going from an amateur at Queen’s Park to playing in the English Premier League with Hull and earning full caps for Scotland.

It therefore makes sense that Robertson’s initiation song, when he moved from Dundee United to the Tigers in July, was The Gambler.

Robertson revealed: “I had to sing a song. I’ve done it four times in three years now, that’s the only down side to moving clubs.

“It wasn’t what you’d expect, it was Kenny Rogers’ The Gambler. It’s a nice, easy song and the boys all clapped along when I got to the second verse, so it wasn’t too bad.”

It might also have helped that Robertson had a few friendly faces around for moral support, as the Hull dressing room also boasts fellow Scotland internationalists Allan McGregor and Robert Snodgrass.

Even the most ardent of Tartan Army punters who will be putting their money on Gordon Strachan’s men are likely to be letting their heart rule their head.

But it has been suggested that Scotland are getting the Germans at the right time, as they will still be in party mood after their success in South America.

Robertson questions if there is ever a right time to get Joachim Low’s all-conquering team – who beat Brazil 7-1 in the semi-final, then Argentina after extra time in the final to lift the trophy.

We will try to play our own game but we know how good the Germans are

Andrew Robertson

The full-back warned: “We are in for a tough test. They are the world champions but we have also come a long way in the last 18 months.

“We will try to play our own game but we know how good the Germans are.

“I watched the World Cup Final up in Dundee. I had the boys round to the flat and it was a good laugh.

“I missed the semi-final as I was on pre-season in Ireland. I played the first half against Athlone and was on the bench hearing the score coming through.

“It was 1-0, 2-0, 3-0... I thought someone was winding us up. I’ve watched it back since and they were really good that night.

“But we are a lot more confident than we would have been 18 months ago and we are looking forward to it.

“I don’t think there is any good time to play the Germans. We’ll see how it goes on the night.”

Robertson can certainly travel to Dortmund full of confidence having already proved himself in England’s top flight.

Hull City boss Steve Bruce’s decision to spend more than £2.2million on the 20-year-old has looked to be anything but a gamble.

Just as he did when he moved from Scotland’s bottom tier with Queen’s Park to the Premiership with Dundee United, Robertson has made himself an automatic first-pick in the Premier League.

“I just went down to Hull and trained hard and luckily the manager put me in.

“We had Stoke City last week and we played 80 minutes with 10 men and it is the hardest game I have ever played in, just with the physical demands and playing with 10 men, so I saw in that game that there is a big difference.”

Robertson is grounded enough to know that he is far from the finished article.

“It is a quicker tempo and there are a lot of things I need to work on,” he acknowledged.

“Everything I get praised for I can still work and get better on.

“I have had a programme to work on in the gym, like I had at United. I expected that because I was only part-time 18 months ago.